West africa ebola outbreak

(Photo: EPA/VNA)The epidemic was spreading around the city of Beni, in North Kivu province, just one week after the outbreak was declared over in the northwest part of the country which killed 33 people. Four cases have been positively identified and more are likely, Congo’s Health Minister, Dr. Oly Ilunga Kalenga, said in a statement on August 4th. “Just a week after announcing the end of the ninth epidemic of Ebola virus disease in the Equator Province, the DRC is facing a new epidemic," Kalenga said. The World Health Organization (WHO) said its response to the earlier outbreak had decidedly helped curtail any spread. Its head and senior officials were on ground to help the DRC contain and fight the virus. The first reported case of Ebola occurred in the DRC in 1976 in an outbreak that killed at least 280 people. The worst Ebola epidemic ended in West Africa two years ago, after killing more than 11,300 people and infecting about 28,600 across Guinea, … [Read more...] about Ebola returns to Democratic Republic of Congo

(Photo: EPA-EFE)“I am cautiously optimistic that we shall be able to bring it to an end soon," General Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus added. He had also tweeted, "It's far too early to declare victory in the Ebola outbreak. But the signals are positive and we are cautiously optimistic.” His comments come after the WHO and NGOs since May 21st began helping the DRC immunize front-line workers with a vaccine that has shown to be highly effective in trials, though it still awaits regulatory approval. A total of 1,369 people have received the experimental vaccine since May 21st. Earlier, the WHO had prepared to deploy 4,000 doses of Ebola vaccine in the DRC to control the outbreak. “We’re working on the deployment of these materials, especially readying the cold chain,” WHO Africa Director Matshidiso Moeti said. “The start date of the vaccinations will depend on this deployment.” DRC’s Minister of Health Oly Ilunga on May 10th … [Read more...] about WHO optimistic on ending Ebola outbreak in Congo

The Ebola epidemic hits the Democratic Republic of Congo in South Africa, killing 27 people as of May 31. Photo by Reuters Low risk of virus spreading from southern Africa, but preventive action needed, Health Ministry says. The Vietnamese health sector has been put on high alert following reports of an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo in southern Africa that had killed 27 people as of May 31. The Public Health Emergency Operations Center on Thursday convened a meeting with the Ministry of Heath to discuss ways to prevent the disease from breaking out in Vietnam. Health officials urged authorities to step up control at border gates so that any infection could be detected early by screening people coming Ebola-affected areas. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Ebola outbreak in Congo has reached an alarming level, considerably increasing the risk of the virus spreading to neighboring countries. While Vietnam faces “very low” … [Read more...] about Vietnam tightens border gate controls to preempt Ebola outbreak

(Source: AFP/VNA)“We’re working on the deployment of these materials, especially readying the cold chain,” WHO Africa Director Matshidiso Moeti said. “The start date of the vaccinations will depend on this deployment.” In Congo, vaccines will also be administered to local and international health care workers and front-line workers in both affected areas as well as the regions expected to be at risk should the outbreak continue to spread. DRC’s Minister of Health Oly Ilunga on May 10th announced the first confirmed death in a new outbreak of Ebola virus, and said 11 other people were confirmed to be infected. This is the ninth time Ebola has been recorded in the DRC. The first reported case of Ebola occurred in the DRC in 1976 in an outbreak that killed at least 280 people. The worst Ebola epidemic ended in West Africa two years ago, after killing more than 11,300 people and infecting about 28,600 across Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Ebola, … [Read more...] about WHO sends 4,000 Ebola vaccines to Congo

Photo for illustration (Source: AFP)Last month, the DRC’s Ministry of Health announced that at least 17 people have died since inhabitants of a village in the country’s northwest began showing symptoms resembling Ebola. However, those cases were not confirmed through testing. The World Health Organisation and officials from other international health groups are now in the area to help contain the spread of the deadly virus. This is the ninth time Ebola has been recorded in the DRC. The first reported case of Ebola occurred in the DRC in 1976 in an outbreak that killed at least 280 people. The worst Ebola epidemic ended in West Africa two years ago after killing more than 11,300 people and infecting about 28,600 across Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Ebola, one of the deadliest viruses known to man, is spread through direct contact, and it can also be transmitted through sexual contact or unprotected handling of contaminated corpses./. Compiled by BTA … [Read more...] about Congo confirms first death in latest Ebola outbreak

A prototype vaccine for Ebola may be "up to 100 percent effective" in protecting against the deadly virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Friday. If all goes well, the vaccine could become available in 2018 under a fast-track approval process, it said. In a major clinical trial, nearly 6,000 people in Guinea were given the test vaccine last year, at the tail end of a lethal epidemic of Ebola. Not one of the 6,000 contracted the disease. But in a control group of volunteers that did not receive the vaccine, 23 Ebola cases occurred, researchers reported in The Lancet medical journal. "If we compare zero to 23, this strongly suggests that the vaccine is very effective, that it could be up to 100 percent effective," Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO's assistant director-general and lead author of the study, told AFP. Her team of three dozen researchers calculated a 90-percent likelihood during a full-fledged epidemic that the vaccine, dubbed rVSV-ZEBOV, would work in more than 80 … [Read more...] about Ebola vaccine may be ‘up to 100 pct effective’: WHO

Japan has committed the first $50 million towards the facility, which will combine funding from reinsurance markets with the proceeds of a new type of World Bank-issued high-yield pandemic "catastrophe" bond, the bank said. In the event of a pandemic outbreak, the facility will release funds quickly to affected poor countries and qualified international first-responder agencies. The genesis of the new facility was the slow international response to the Ebola outbreak in 2014, when it took months to muster meaningful funds for affected countries as death tolls mounted. "The recent Ebola crisis in West Africa was a tragedy that we were simply not prepared for. It was a wake-up call to the world," World Bank President Jim Yong Kim told a media conference call. "We can't change the speed of a hurricane or the magnitude of an earthquake, but we can change the trajectory of an outbreak. With enough money sent to the right place at the right time, we can save lives and protect economies," … [Read more...] about World Bank launches $500 mln insurance fund to fight pandemics

US grants $1m to fight HIV/AIDS The US is providing nearly US$1 million for a two-year project to combat HIV/AIDS in southern Viet Nam, including HCM City. The programme, launched yesterday by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), focuses particularly on HCM City, Can Tho, and An Giang, where there is a high rate of HIV carriers and at-risk populations. Managed by NGO Centre for Promotion of Quality of Life, Community HIV Link will seek to strengthen the ability of local organisations to reach vulnerable populations and link them with appropriate HIV services. The centre said the programme sought to deliver community-based HIV/AIDS services to 4,000 high-risk people like injecting drug users, women sex workers, and men who had sex with men and to 2,000 people living with HIV. Rena Bitter, the US's consul in HCM City, said at the launch ceremony that in the past 10 years the US had provided financial and technical support to control HIV/AIDS across Viet Nam. In … [Read more...] about US grants $1m to fight HIV/AIDS

Ventilator donated to City hospital
The New Zealand-based Julie Ferne Memorial Trust donated a Newport e360 ventilator to the Children Hospital 2 in HCM City yesterday, making it the first medical equipment donation made by the Trust to the hospital.
The Preston family partnered with VinaCapital Foundation (VCF) to procure the ventilator and to ensure that the equipment will be used and maintained properly.
Since 2012, the Julie Ferne Memorial Trust has raised funds from around the world to advance pediatric care in HCM City, with a focus on helping child trauma sufferers. … [Read more...] about Social News 31/10